THE public service vehicle and battery-electric vehicle departments of Northern Coachbuilders, Ltd., will, in future, be carried on as separate entities. All battery-electric business has been transferred to Smith's Electric Vehicles, Ltd., Princesway, Team Valley, Gateshead-on-Tyne, 11, where the full range of N.C.B. electric vehicles will be manufactured. Other activities of the company will be concerned with bodybuilding. Mr.' Douglas Smith, Snr., Mr. Douglas Smith, Jnr., and Mr. H. W. Heyman, B.Sc., A.M.I.E.E., A.I.T.A., form the directorate of -Smith's Electric Vehicles, Ltd., Mr. Heyman tieing the managing director.

The public service Vehicle department will be operated by Northern Coach' builders, Ltd., as hitherto. There will be no change in the ownership of the group as a whole.

GREATER INTEREST IN STANDARDIZATION

GREATLY increased interest shown during the past year by industry and the Government in the extension of voluntary standardization on a -national basis, was noted by Lord McGowan, retiring president of the British Standards Institution, at the Institution's 48th annual general meeting, last week.

He said that the investigations by the committee for standardization of engineering products, under the chairmanship of Sir Ernest Lemon, substantiated the view that the principles under which the WSJ. worked were effective and could be greatly extended. Another significant development during the year had been the co-operation of the great nationalized industries with the Institution and the •increase in the collaboration among large industrial users With a-view to assistitg rnanufachirers to reduce the -number of types and sizes